Stratus ESG transponder

[KR]

The club I belong to recently installed ADS B Stratus ESG transponders in our aircraft. The other pilots who use Foreflight are able to get ADS B data on their iPads. I have not been able to get the Stratus to work with Avare, however. Can anyone confirm whether or not they are compatible?

[Peter Gustafson]

Same story with my club. :(

I looked into this recently.  Here is what I discerned... (I'm not sure it is a 100% accurate description, but it is close.)

Stratus and Foreflight have an agreement such that Stratus does not support any other app. Worse, they use a proprietary protocol and prevent other apps from accessing their hardware.  Another app was able to reverse engineer their protocol. When they did, Stratus subsequently released a firmware update which broke the reverse engineering.  So bottom line, it is not likely worth attempting to reverse engineer it.

It was a business arrangement that compels Stratus hardware purchasers to pay for Foreflight if they want the data. Consequently, I warn all potential buyers that they should strongly consider the implications being locked into a single software vendor for the life of their hardware.  When asked, I recommend that people invest in hardware that works on an industry standard protocols (currently, almost everything else but Stratus).

However, it seems like a quality product, and people are free to do what they want. :)

[John W SBA]

> to get ADS B data

My understanding is that any aircraft with ADS-B Out can get full ADS-B
In services. Rather than struggle with the "Status" problem, why not
just use a portable ADS-B In receiver that works with Avare? (pretty
much all of them)

My own solution is the $3 HIZ app and an SDR dongle that cost me a total
of $10 or so and took all of five minutes to set up.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bs.Avare.ADSB&hl=en

The only drawback is that the dongle uses Android device power and
(except for very few specific phones/tablets) the Android device can't
simultaneously use ship's power. On my various devices I still get
several hours of ADSB, and can quickly unplug it to put the Android
device back on ship's power to recharge. Since I seldom use ADS-B In
except for a quick check of weather or a Class B transition for traffic,
this works fine for me. I swap the dongle for the ship's power
connection when I want ADS-B In, then swap back when done.

Several local pilot friends instead built a "Stratux" box that works
with either Avare or ForeFlight. That too is pretty quick and easy,
costs maybe $50-100, and enables them to power both the Android device
and the Stratux.

[KR]

Thank you for the great feedback and recommendations. It's really a shame the Stratus doesn't use a standard protocol. I'm planning to build my own or buy one of the prebuilt units.

[Peter Gustafson]

On 04/14/2017 03:42 AM, John W SBA wrote:
> My understanding is that any aircraft with ADS-B Out can get full
> ADS-B In services. Rather than struggle with the "Status" problem,
> why not just use a portable ADS-B In receiver that works with Avare?
> (pretty much all of them)

Well... your suggestion is, of course, very practical. But there is
more to the story. The hardware:
* includes additionally a AHRS feature bought at extra cost (which I'd
like to examine/develop but which is now useless)
* is mounted and hardwired into the panel (can't be forgotten, dropped,
nor lacking battery, and providing a solid reference frame for AHRS)
* and is already paid for

I don't get any of those three (nor their combination) by adopting
another solution. :(

These lock-in shenanigans are all over the place, and the consumer can
easily be caught unaware like I was here. Its kindof like the farmer's
tractor (look up the "right to repair" concepts about tractors, cars,
etc). Similarly, the fight over printer inks (HP used DRM to stop
permitting 3rd party ink after a firmware update), and k-cups (Keurig's
DRM scheme prevented use of coffee sold by third parties). As a
consumer, I avoid products and companies who do this.

Things that make flying more expensive or less safe unnecessarily, they
frustrate me. This (sort-of) falls is in that category, and thus I don't
recommend Stratus.

[Zubair Khan]

Agree. I recommend iLevil. Their new products coming up seem pretty innovative.



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[John W SBA]

> * includes additionally a AHRS ... and is already paid for

Yikes. To clarify, I couldn't agree more about avoiding Stratus! One
among several reasons I also avoid ForeFlight and am not keen on Garmin.
All of this makes me even more happy we have Avare, thanks to you,
Zubair and everyone on the Apps4Av Dev Team.

> These lock-in shenanigans are all over the place

Yes! Don't get me started on politics. ;)